When people talk about places which have influenced contemporary music, Nashville, Memphis, and Liverpool are often cited.

And Lincolnshire has its own claim to the modern-day live music scene with Spalding being the birthplace of the rock festival which brought huge names to the county.

In what has been called the impetus for the notorious Summer of Love, Barbeque ’67 was developed out of an idea by late Lincolnshire promoter, Brian Thompson.

Thompson was passionate about live music, and booked popular groups including The Move, Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, a year in advance to perform at the Tulip Auction Hall, an agricultural centre presumably chosen because of its large size.

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Despite having yet to reach the heights that would launch them into international super-stardom, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Eric Clapton’s Cream, and an emerging Pink Floyd were all added to the show.

The move proved to be a master stroke, with all three groups on the cusp of nationwide recognition by the time the show finally began.

20th August 1967: The members of the rock group Cream, (from left) Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton at London Airport on their way to Los Angeles. (Photo by George Stroud/Express/Getty Images)

Taking place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 29 1967, patrons paid just £1 for entry, with as many as 10,000 further teenagers descending on the small town hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols.

The cattle auction hall venue proved completely unconducive to producing the acoustics required for such a large event.

In spite of this, the estimated 6,000 strong crowd remained unfazed, enduring the sweltering heat and cramped space to catch a glimpse of rock royalty.

The events poster described: “Non-stop dancing 4pm in afternoon until 12pm at night”, also advertising that a licenced bar had “been applied for” whilst promising a “knockout atmosphere.”

To drive up local interest, Lincolnshire group Sounds Force Five were recruited to entertain the crowd during the intermission between acts.

Relatively unknown at the time, Pink Floyd were the first to take to the stage on the day, fronted by original member Syd Barrett.

The line-up for the concert was arranged by the various genres of music each group belonged to, with Pink Floyd and The Move the first to take the stage, as they were both deemed ‘psychedelic groups’.

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Led by guitar virtuoso Eric Clapton, Cream produced a blistering set, sending the crowd into a raucous frenzy with their balanced instrumentation and meticulously rehearsed vocal harmonies, including their 1967 classic Sunshine of Your Love”.

The packed crowd had been driven to such an excitable atmosphere that Cream’s infamous drummer, Ginger Baker, had to have his kit nailed onto the stage to prevent it falling off.

However, when the Jimi Hendrix Experience took to the stage, their set list was marred by technical issues, leading a frustrated Hendrix to set fire to his signature Fender guitar on stage.

The guitar was thrown away following the concert and never retrieved, likely leaving a priceless musical artefact somewhere in landfill in Lincolnshire.

Pink Floyd performed at Barbeque 67 in Spalding

Despite the show’s success, the mob of teenagers arriving from around the country caused various problems across Spalding, putting an end to an opportunity for the event to continue in the area.

He said: "It was the 50th anniversary of the event, and as a community theatre group we do a lot of work about community identity stories and it seemed like a really good story to do because it was actually a cultural kind of moment for the people of Spalding.”

“With the Barbecue ’67, not only have you got a fantastic festival which is a story in itself, but the performance also captures what being a teenager in the mid-60’s was like, which is a world away from being a teenager now.”